Jeff Merkley

The U.S. Interior Department is delaying the Trump administration’s last-minute roll-back of federal protections for the northern spotted owl. On February 22nd, federal officials said the changes will be reviewed, delaying their effective date from March 16th to April 15th. D ...

Last week, Senate Democrats introduced a bill to end the U.S. embargo on Cuba. Senate Finance Committee Chair, Oregon’s Ron Wyden introduced the U.S.-Cuba Trade Act of 2021 to repeal sanctions on Cuba and establish normal trade relations with the island nation. W ...

In an effort to balance the needs of the Central Oregon agriculture community as well as the environment, several irrigation districts are working to pipe their canals. The hope is by doing this, the Deschutes River will see better water levels during the winter months, thus helping area wildlife ...

Earlier this week, Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley rolled out legislation he said will provide millions of dollars in investments for the farm community across the state and beyond. Merkley, the top Democrat on the Senate Appropriations subcommittee on agriculture, says the spending bill will cover a wide variety of Ag, housing food assistance and rural business priorities that will benefit Oregon fa

Senator Ron Wyden is asking for additional assistance for winegrape growers impacted by wildfires this year. Oregon’s senior senator made the request to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture this week. In the 2019 disaster relief package, Congress provided $3 million through the Wildfires and Hurricanes Indemnity Program, WHIP, for winegrowers whose grapes were damaged by wildfir

It’s not often that all six of the Northwest Senators are on the same page. But as proven over and over, 2020 is not your typical year. Washington’s Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell, Idaho’s Jim Risch and Mike Crapo, and Oregon’s Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden joined bipartisan group of lawmakers calling on Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue to provide financial assistance to wheat growers impacted by the coro

Several Northwest lawmakers are asking the USDA why funds have been redirected from a program designed to help farmers who are immigrants, people of color and veterans. The letter signed by Washington Senator Patty Murray, Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley and Oregon Representative Earl Blumenauer, asks the USDA’s Mike Beatty to explain why funding appropriated for  the Outreach and Assistance for Soci

On Tuesday, Oregon’s Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced that the state will receive nearly $200,000 in Farm to School grants to support partnerships between local farms and school districts. The USDA funding will allow farms to supply schools with local produce, support hands-on agricultural education, and promote healthy eating through family programming, including cooking demonstrations and

On Tuesday, Oregon senator Jeff Merkley introduced legislation he says will protect farm workers while providing additional pay. Merkley says the Frontline At-Risk Manual (FARM) Laborers Protection Act, is a groundbreaking piece of legislation, establishing critical protections, including 10 days of paid leave and hazard pay, for America’s agricultural workers. Mer ...

On Wednesday, the Senate passed the Great American Outdoor Act, sending the bill to the House of Representatives. The bill establishes the National Parks and Public Land Legacy Restoration Fund to support deferred maintenance projects on federal lands ...